Water Horse

Equine Wonders

Where have all the feel-good, make-believe movies gone?  

Every time I think I may go to the movies and look, all that are playing are horror films or superhero movies.  No judgment Spider-Man, but I need a really good E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial sometimes.

That's why when The Water Horse was made available to watch on Netflix, I was all in. 

Why wouldn't I?

This film has fantasy and drama and fable. And I love that it starts with, Once upon a time...

... on the shore of Loch Ness, Scotland, a boy named Angus finds an unusual egg.

Then, the plot thickens. The egg hatches, releasing an unexpected surprise. You won’t believe what comes out of it. 

Never.

Not in a million years.

A water horse, the legendary creature from Scottish mythology.

So now, are you in, too?

While the boy tries to keep its existence hidden from his mother, he and Crusoe (which is what the new pet is named), quickly become inseparable. Angus knows that he has found a friend.

But as Crusoe grows larger, eventually becoming the fabled Loch Ness monster, Angus must protect it from those who would want to do it harm. The farm has been commandeered as a posting for a British artillery unit, charged with placing a submarine net across the mouth of the loch.

As fate would have it, the nearby artillery battery soon opens fire upon Crusoe, having mistaken it for a German U-Boat. 

Super pitiful.

Dismal and distressing and heart-rending with a side of lamentable on top.

But then?

Angus leads Crusoe to escape through the net and into the sea.

I just love a sort of happily-ever-after ending, don't you?

But just when you think that's the end, outside a pub, a mother calls out to her son William who is walking down the beach. William has spotted a rock which has an iridescent shell just like Crusoe's.
  
It is said that in all the world, only one Loch Ness is alive at a time. Before it dies, it lays an egg which will produce the next water horse. 

Shall we say it together? Aha! Same story, second telling.

Well, hello baby Nessie.

Looking forward to meet you.

Gurgle! Plop!

Terracotta Warriors And Cavalry

Equine Wonders

Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed

from different sides. - Lao Tzu

You will not want to miss this post. Not a minute. Not a second. This is my number one nominee for the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The Terracotta Warriors and Cavalry in Xi'an, China.

It is said that a group of farmers digging a well nearby had discovered a vast underground city guarded by a life-sized army. It was a burial complex.

Over 7,000 full-scale terracotta warriors and infantrymen.

Horses, chariots and all their attendant armor and weaponry.

A sprawling citadel complete with gardens and stables, bronze ritual vessels, jade jewelry, and a wealth of gold and silver ornaments.

Imagine that!

The soldiers average around 5'11" in height with some as tall as 6'7". Their head, arms and bodies are all hollow with the legs being solid pottery.

The horse statues modeled on the domesticated war-horse are life-sized as well - about 5'6" in height and 6' to 7' long. 

Remarkable. 

The over 2,000-year old funerary art was buried with the First Emperor of China for his protection in the afterlife.

This I will admit to. Having been there, it felt like touching the shadow of a soul. The burial site captured something of the feeling that the dead were a welcome presence among the living.

But not meaning to beat a dead horse (pun fully intended - ha!), I'd say that the rationale for the elaborate entourage eludes me.

Houyhnhnm!

P.S. Give me one of those gorgeous horse sculptures, though, and I'll forever hold my peace.

Calesa

Equine Wonders

The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable, and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back. 

– Amber Senti

Raise your hand if you want to learn about a unique means of transport in the Philippines.

Good.

Let me tell you all about the calesa.

It was a primary mode of public and private transportation during the colonial era. 

I know. It’s old-fashioned and vintage. I get it. It is so not even a thing any more. 

But it looks fancy. Sort of. And farmhouse. Kind of like Little House on the Prairie. Plus I suppose there is nothing quite so romantic as a horse-drawn carriage traversing cobble-stoned streets. 

Which is what the calesa is.

So let's start.

You already know it's a two-wheeled inclined cart. Made from wood, metal, or a combination of both, it is commonly vividly painted and gaily-decorated.

The cochero (driver) sits in front. Behind is a single forward-facing bench that can accommodate two passengers. All sit under a canopy originating from the back of the cab.

Nowadays, the horse-drawn calesa largely only survives as a tourist attraction but for me, it hasn't lost  its charm. I think it's beautiful. I love that it signifies travel, movement, and desire. And its best point of appeal is that it is drawn by a single horse.

A spirit animal that raises in so you can set your soul free.

A totem animal that inspires you to jump the hurdles of life with ease.

A power animal that invokes sharpened intuition.

So, ready?

Ya! Gee up!

My Chair

Come And Sit A Spell

Put your buttocks in that chair

Then put some words on that page. - Nordic Inspirational Quote

Welcome to my world.

See that chair? That's where all the thinking and writing begin.

It’s where I dream. It’s where I create. It’s where I sit and wonder why farmhouse decor is full of shiplap board signs advertising, Fresh Baked Pies or directing you to, Sip. Eat.

You might notice that the screen display is blank.

I haven’t filled it up yet.

For the nth time, I failed to finish any new pieces of writing. (Aside: thank God for crappy first drafts that have been on stand-by so all I've had to do when a deadline comes is to edit.)

Why the so-called writer's block? The short answer is, Life got in the way. (Whom am I kidding? What life? In this era of the pandemic?) 

The honest answer? I’m unsure where I want my writing to go.

But I’m working on it.

Pinterest says, Don't think. Just write. Maybe, I'll try that really soon right after I finish my red hibiscus tea and binge on YouTube Anthropologie dupes.

Let's see. Perhaps, tell more stories? My heart always has been and always will be with stories. That’s why I write the blog because this is where the stories find a home.

Remember those about the foods of my childhood? I love to eat, so anything about food will have to be on my top stories of all time.

I've always had a soft spot for pets, both furry and feathered. What about those? And for sure, family.

In the three years and seven months I've been writing this blog (yes, I counted), you have taught me so much. That I just needed to be me. 

Thank you for encouraging and helping and suggesting and laughing.

Thank you for cheering and recognizing that shopping at Goodwill for decor can be a full-time profession and that Omek and Yelfred are the epitome of true friendship. 

I am SO LUCKY to write this blog and have amazing readers.

Just.Like.You.

As I have learned, blogging is a little like a snowball. You start small. You roll and roll and roll and feel like you’re not getting anywhere. But then, one day you get a little traction. And a little more. And a little more. And before you know it, you are chasing a giant blogging snowball down the hill.

I know that there are more exciting next chapters and blogs to come. I still haven't written about the Eiffel Tower or Morocco or the Red Square in Moscow, but all this talking has me a little worn out.

It's a perfect day to sit on the divan under the crabapple trees and relax. Or curl in a rocking chair to think. Maybe I'll come up with some really simple ideas to write about... 

….and  tomorrow, I'll sit on this very chair again.

And w-r-i... Z-z-z-z...

Under The Crabapple Trees

Come And Sit A Spell

When you realize nothing is lacking,

the whole world belongs to you. - Lao Tzu

It is like stepping into a fairy tale.

The sun has just set and an orange glow lingers on the horizon. It is not yet night and no longer day but some whimsical in-between. The insects have just begun to swarm and the light to change.

See that spot with the loveseat and divan underneath the crabapple trees? It has such a storybook quality to it that I half-expect the seven dwarfs to pop out, singing as they head back home from work. 

Doesn't that setting make you want to scream, Summer is here! 

Come and sit a spell.

Listen to the story those chairs are telling.

You see, they came from our southwest home 1,919 miles away and traveled twenty-seven hours non-stop with the Home Team Affordable mover. 

Now they have found a home. 

The scenery is like a postcard. Very Hemingway-esque. Like being in an outdoor cafe in Paris where you can sip a café crème and watch the world pass by.

It is a perfect afternoon. Dusk at its dramatic best. The sky a quilt of a thousand different colors. 

I take a deep breath, getting my fill of the fresh air. This, I'm thinking, is glorious.

No, change that. 

This feels like the way things always should be.

Like a wink from God.

Dadee's Chair

Come And Sit A Spell

I fondly remember my quirky Dad this Father's Day.

The soul in repose grows wiser. - Mark Mills

Let me start off this story with the general fact that my father was amazing. 

Not like a little amazing. A lot amazing.

Definitely a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

He let me go with him to his office at Erlanger and eat egg pie afterward before we headed home.

He never told me I was too young to pursue my ambitions. He was my steady rock who wholeheartedly went with me when I was thirteen to audition as radio announcer for Student Canteen.

I'd always wanted to be a journalist. He was my advocate and companion when at fourteen, I presented a feature article to Manila Times editor Bunao for critique.

All my life, I'd seen him win people with his charm, his bottomless optimism. When he said serious things like, The only way to achieve something magical was through work and discipline, people around him listened.

But sometimes, he struck me as remarkable...  in the weirdest way.

Like I couldn't figure out the equation of work and discipline with his lounging in a chair while staring at the ceiling and the few dusty cobwebs hanging in the corner of the living room.

So on that day, he sat, lost in thought. 

Still as a statue, almost as though he had been frozen. 

His eyelids slowly slid halfway down over his eyes as he pondered. 

Then I saw him squeeze his eyes shut for a few seconds, trying to concentrate, mumbling under his breath. What thoughts, like butterflies, were darting through his mind?

I paused and looked at him and then looked again and then tilted my head to the side and wrinkled my nose and stared at him sideways, biting my lip in concentration. What was he up to?

Teasingly, I poked into his ribcase, intruding upon his quietude with a rattling, Intong! Little Boy! (for that was what I called him when no one was around). Tulog ka ba? Are you sleeping?

It sounded, peculiarly, like a genuine question.

He blinked looking like a man who had awakened from a deep sleep with no idea where he was. He looked at me with raised eyebrows, rolling his eyes with theatrical exaggeration. He thought for a moment and appeared to choose his words with care. 

Can't you see? He said, leaning forward and staring into my eyes. I'm thinking. 

He continued, And studying. The way to doing everything deeply is to do nothing. Then gave a slightly guilty chuckle.

Wha??!! I stared at his face, trying to maintain eye contact, but it was difficult because he was flashing a kooky smile.

Maybe because I experienced something this strange, this outrageous, it bonded us forever. 

I grinned from ear to ear and nodded encouragingly even though I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

Didn't I say he was amazing? ... 

In his uniquely quirky way.

Lolo Gorio'S Chair

Come And Sit A Spell

This series is an invitation for you to sit a spell - to stop, rest your feet, and visit for a while. 

All you have to do is write the truest sentence that you know. - Hemingway

Today, we're taking the diagnostics essay writing test to determine our proficiency in Freshman English composition.

I had known it was coming so I prepared for it by keeping current on local and world events and reading sample essays on academic topics and learning issues. I was sure the topic, which was to be announced the day-of, would be one along these lines.

I was ready.

Poised with my brand-new Bic ballpoint pen and college ruled paper, I waited to see the topic that the instructor was writing on the chalkboard. At first I couldn't make out what it was. It seemed but a short word. 

Then she turned around and said, You have the rest of the hour to write.

CHAIR.

What??!!

Seriously?

I was perplexed. Surprised. Lost in thought. What intelligent and impressively interesting things in 300-500 words or so could one possibly say about a chair?

The cane and rattan weaving of the set in our living room? The rough planks of the dining room benches? I knew they each had four legs and a seat and they looked like they were fluent in 'furniture.' But really?

For heaven's sake, What? Which? How?

In my mind, I scanned images of anything chair that I could possibly write about. Okay, there was Lolo Gorio's oversized rattan rocking chair, the wrought-iron children's chairs, the makeshift bamboo seats in the garden...

Hmmm... let me back up. I may have found my writing muse.

How about that rocking chair?

It was my grandfather's.

Large.

Unoccupied, for he had long been gone.

I remember standing on tiptoe, reaching up to its tattered corner and climbing up on it. Ensconced within, I felt so small and insubstantial, as if some melancholy breeze could just blow me away.

Sitting there, I began to think of my grandfather. 

My memories were nothing more than cloudy dreams from his faded photograph on top of the piano, for I never knew him. I had often wished I could see him just once in the flesh. He had grown so mysterious to me that he took the place of someone like the Holy Ghost, one that was never seen but whose presence was felt. 

I began to imagine that his embrace like everything else about him, including his rocking chair, would be massive. 

I would picture squeezing by him in the tumba-tumba as he told stories about the farm and the poultry house. I'd look at his craggy face that looked like a crumpled road map, each line a rough road taken or a detour that went somewhere.

I'd envision how it would be to lie down with my stomach on the floor as I listened to his jokes. And visualize him rocking the chair in rhythmic cadence as he laughed at his own joke. Old men must be the same everywhere. They laughed harder than anyone else in the room at their own jokes.

Sitting alone in his chair, perhaps he would pull his chin when perplexed or deep in thought.

So that was what I wrote.

It didn't overwhelm with big words and complex thoughts.

It was a celebration of the everyday, the often overlooked, and the ordinary. 

I can sit on that thought.

Happy simple.

Happy more heart.